“The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peter…the spokesman…the leader…the one who set the record straight on the day of Pentecost…when the Holy Spirit had come…was in trouble with his Jewish counterparts! Not only had he had a part in the new believers in Samaria being filled with the Holy Spirit…

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…but now, also, a whole Gentile household had believed…and Peter was there when it had happened. He had preached the gospel to them…in their house! Peter, a Jew, actually hob-nobbing with Gentiles, eating with them! What was he thinking?

Once again, Peter was the forerunner in this world-changing event. The Holy Spirit had come, as Jesus had promised, but not exclusively to the Jews. The good news of Jesus was for the whole world…and also the baptism of the Holy Spirit since He, the Spirit, was Jesus’ ”other self”. He had come to make real in every believer what Jesus did on earth. 

So, Peter told his story. At first, he had been a puzzled participant…trying to decipher the clues, like a runner in an obstacle race. He had baulked at the idea of setting aside Jewish protocol…going into a Gentile home…they did not mix with Gentiles!

However, as the story unfolded, it was clear to his colleagues that Peter was following divine directions. The vision on the  rooftop…the three men from Caesarea…the request from Cornelius the centurion…all the details began to fall into place. Peter obeyed the Spirit’s instruction and…the rest, as they say, is history. 

The Holy Spirit Himself provided the final piece in the puzzle…He came, in power and confirmation, to seal God’s prophetic word through Isaiah. 

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations… “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬, ‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This was Peter’s next learning curve…and he would be Jesus’ instrument for this momentous event…to open the door, officially,  for the first Gentile believers after Pentecost, to enter the kingdom of God.  

Peter’s story ended with his grand conclusion… 

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 

Finally convinced and satisfied with Peter’s story, the church in Jerusalem opened their hearts to the new chapter in God’s glorious plan for the whole world. 

“When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭11‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And so, the church moved on…marching on with unerring steps, into the very portals of hell…the Roman empire under the ruthless hostility of Nero!

To be continued